Container



a 2, B. M. WILLIIAMIS ETAL 2,366,304

CONTAINER Original Filed April 5, 1945 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Jan. 2, 1945. B. M, WILLIAMS ETAL CONTAINER Original Filed April 5, 1943 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Jan. 2, 1945 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE Rushing,

Tampa, Fla., assignors to Gaylord Container Corporation, St. Louis, Mo., a corporation of Maryland Original application April 5, 1943, Serial No.

Divided and this application August 23., 1943, Serial No. 499,624

7 Claims.

The subject matter hereof is divided out of our copending application Serial No. 481,838, filed April 5, 1943, for patent for Container, now Patent No. 2,355,578.

Thisdnvention relates to containers, particularly fruit and vegtable shipping cartons of the kind having a body with a slip cover and hand holes to facilitate handling. The principal objects of the present invention are to provide for quickly and easily locking the cover to the body without the use of separate locking means; to

provide for readily unlocking the cover to permit inspection of the fruit; to protect the fruit from injury when the fingers are inserted in the hand holes in handling the carton and in looking and unlocking the cover; to provide for strength and durability and simplicity and-economy of construction; and to obtain other advantages hereinafter appearing. The invention consists in the carton andin the construction, combinations and arrangements of parts hereinafter described and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings, which form part of this specification and wherein like symbols refer to like parts wherever they occur,

Fig. l is an end view of a carton embodying our invention,

Fig. 2 is a side elevational view of said carton,

Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the slip cover of the carton, v

Fig. 4 is a perspective view of the body of the carton, I

Fig. 5 is a perspective view, showing the body of the carton in the process of erection,

Fig. 6 is an enlarged vertical cross-section through one end of the body of the carton on the,

' line 66 in Fig. 4; and

Fig. 7 is an enlarged vertical cross-section through oneend of'the carton on; the line L- in Fig. 1. v

' In the accompanying drawings, our invention is shown embodied in a fruit or vegetable shipping carton comprising. a body A and Ya slip cover B therefor, both made of corrugated board, fiberboard or other bendable material. The body A preferably comprises a-bottomwall or panel I, having outwardly tapering end flaps 2 that terminate in looking tongues or tabs 3 and side walls or panels 4 with end fiaps'i'and 5a, respectively,

that are overlapped to form two-ply end walls.

The outermost end flaps. 5 have hand holes 6 therein that register with similar hand holes 6a in the innermost end flaps 5a; and the hand holes to have depending flaps 6b along their upper edges that preferably terminate short of their lower edges. The overlapped end flaps 5*and 5a are also provided below the registering hand holes 6 and 6a with registering horizontal slots 1 and la, respectively, of a length corresponding 5 substantially to the width of the locking tabs 3 of the end flaps 2 of the bottom I of the body A. As shown in the drawings, the registering slots 1 and la in the overlapped end flaps 5 and 5a, respectively, are disposed with their upper edges 10 in substantial flush alinement; but the slots la in the innermost end flaps 5a are narrower than the slots 1 in the outermost end flaps 5, whereby said innermost end flaps 5a cover or mask the lower half of the slots 1 in said outermost end flaps.

The body A is set up or erected by folding the side walls 4 upwardly into vertical position and by folding the end flaps 5 over the end flaps 5a The overlapped end flaps 5 and 5a are then secured together by bending the end flaps 2 upwardly' alongside the outermost end flaps 5 and then pushing the locking tabs 3 at the ends of the end flaps 2 through the registering hand holes 6 and 6a. The locking tabs 2 are then bent downwardly inside of the body A alongside of the innermost end flaps So, after which the end portions of said locking tabs are pushed through the slots la in innermost end flaps into the lowerv portions of the slots 1 in the outermost end flaps o 5. During this operation of inserting the locking tabs 3 in the slots fl and Id of the overlapped end flaps 5 and 5a, respectively, the ends of said tabs strike against the portions of the end flaps 2 that cover said slots and are deflected or guided downwardly by the end flaps 2 into upwardly opening retaining pockets 8 formedin the lower half of said slots by the bottoms thereof and the portions of the lapped end flaps 5 and 5a located between the vertically ofiset bottom edges of the cooper- 4p ating slots I and la. As shown in the drawings, the locking tabs are scored transversely, as at 9, so that they may be readily bent and directed through and around the lower edges of the hand holes 6, 6a and tucked into the pockets 8.

The'slip cover B comprises a top panel III with depending side'and end walls or flanges H and II, respectively. The top panel ill of the cover B seats on the upper edges of the side and end walls of the body A; and the side and end walls of said cover terminate below the level of the registering and terminate short of'the upper edges of the registering slots 1, la in said last mentioned end 'walls. The end walls l2 of the cover B have hand holes I3 cut therein that register with the hand holes 6, 6a in said .end walls of said body registering hand holes El, do in the overlapped end naps ii, 5a oi the body; andlocking tabs it depend from the upper edges of the cover hand holes it and have finger notches it in their lower edges.

After the body A is packed with fruit, th cover B is slipped over said body and the locking tabs i iin the cover hand holes it are bent inwardly and upwardly by the fingers through the registering hand holes ii, in in the end walls of said body and into engagement with the depending flaps 6b of the hand holes 6a in the innermost end wall flaps is, after which the cover tabs it are bent by the fingers around the upper edges of the hand holes 6 in the outermost end wall flaps d and pushed upwardly between said inner and outermost end wall flaps. During this operation of locking the cover to the body A the hand hole flaps 8b act as guides to lead or direct the cover locking tabs Id between the overlapped end wall flaps 5 and 5a of said body, this operation of tucking said cover locking tabs between said overlapped end wall panels being further facilitated by pro-scoring said lockmg tabs transversely along the lines It. When it is desired to open the carton for inspection or removal of the contents thereof, the fingers are inserted in the registering hand holes It, 6 and 6d at each end of the carton and one finger is slid upwardly along the hand hole flap 8b, inserted between the inner end wall flap 5a and the locking flap M and hooked into the finger notch l5 of said locking flap, after which said locking flap is drawn downwardly and outwardly through said hand holes, thereby permitting the cover 13 to be removed from the body A.

The body and cover may be shipped in knockdown form and readily erected for service. The registering slots I, la in the two-ply end walls of the body are concealed by the tapering end I flaps 2 thereof; and the overlapped end wall flaps 5, 5a are securely held together by the locking tabs 3, which are bent around the lower edges of the registering hand holes 3, 6a and are tucked in the pockets &. I The contents of the carton serve to press the locking tabs 3 fiatwise' against the inner faces of the innermost end wall flaps 5a, hold the hand hole flaps 8b in closed position, and clamp the tucked-in portions of the cover locking flaps ll between the overlapped end wall flaps 5 and Id. Besides acting as guides to lead or direct the locking tabs 3 and It into locking poshtion and as blinds for the hand holes, the hand hole fiaps it also serve to protect the contents of the carton from injury by the fingernails during the operation oi! locking and unlocking the cover locking tabs i4 and when the hand holes are used in handling the carton Obviously, the hereinbeiore described carton construction admits oi considerable modification without departing from the invention. Therefore, we do not wish to be limited to the precise construction shown and described.

What we claim is:

1. A carton comprising a body and a cover therefor, said body having side panels with flaps that are overlapped and secured together to form two-ply end walls, said overlapped flaps having registering hand holes therethrough, and said cover having locking naps depending therefrom that extend through the hand holes in the outermost side panel flaps and thence upwardly between said overlapped side panel flaps, the hand holes in the innermost side panel flaps having flaps depending from the upper edges thereoi' aseasoe that normally substantially close said hand holes.

2. A carton comprising a body and a slip cover therefor with depending end flanges, said body having side panels with end flaps that are over lapped and secured together to form two-ply end walls, said overlapped flaps and said depending: cover flanges having registering hand holes therethrough, said cover having locking flaps de pending from the upper edges of the hand holes therein that are bent upwardly around the upper edges of the hand holes in the outermost side panel flaps and thence upwardly between said overlapped side panel flaps, the hand holes in the innermost side panel flaps having flaps depending from the upper edges thereof that normally substantially close said hand holes and function as guides to lead or direct said locking flaps between said overlapped side panel flaps 3. A carton comprising a body and a cover therefor, said body having side panels with flaps that are overlapped and secured together to form two-ply end walls, said side panel naps having registering hand holes therethrough and said cover having locking tabs that are bent inwardly through hand holes in the outermost side panel flaps and thence upwardly between said outer most side panel flaps and the innermost side panel flaps, the hand holes in said innermost side panel flaps having flaps depending from the upper edges thereof that normally substantially close sai hand holes, said last mentioned flaps being adapted to serve as guides to lead or direct said locking tabs between said overlapped side panel flaps and as guards for preventing the fingers from engaging the contents of the carton when the fingers are inserted in said hand holes in handling the car ton and in looking and unlocking said cover, said locking tabs having finger notches in the free ends thereof adapted to facilitate the withdrawal thereof from between said overlapped side panel flaps.

d. A carton comprising a body and a cover therefor, said body having a two-ply wall with registering hand holes therethrough, said cover having a locking flap that extends through the hand hole in the outer ply of said two-ply wall and thence between said outer ply and the inner ply of said two-ply wall, the hand hole in said inner ply having a flap that normally substantially closes said hand holes and protects the contents of the carton from injury by the fingers guring the locking and unlocking of said locking therefor, said body having a two-ply wall with registering hand holes therethrough, said cover having a locking fiap'depending therefrom that extends through the hand hole in the outer ply of said two-ply wall and thence upwardly between said outer ply and the inner p y of said two. ply wall, the hand hole in said inner ply having a nap depending from the upper edge thereof that normally substantially closes said hand holes.

6. A carton comprising a body and a cover thereforfsaid body having a two-ply wall and said cover having a depending flange overhanging said wall, said two-ply wall and said depending cover flange having registering hand holes there-- and the inner ply or said two-ply wall, the hand hole in said inner ply having a flap depending from the' upper edge thereof that normally subsaid inner and outer plies, said locking flap having a finger notch in the free end thereof adapted to facilitate withdrawal thereof from between said inner and outer plies.

'7. A carton comprising a body and a slip cover stantially closes said hand holes and functions as r a guide to lead or direct said locking flap between tering hand holes, said end flanges of said cover having hand holes therein registering with the hand holes of said two-ply end walls of said body,

.said end flanges of said cover having locking ilaps depending from the upper edges of the hand holes therein that are bent upwardly'around the upper edges of the hand holes in the outer plies only of said two-ply end walls and thence upwardly between both plies thereof.

BENJAMIN M. WILLIAMS. FRED L. BUSHING. 

